What should I replace my Octavia with?

I’ve got a 10 year old Octavia which has been brilliant for my 60 mile round commute (I lift share so not every day) and lugging bikes about but I needed a smarter car for my new job which involves client and supplier visits. I have a budget to 10K and can’t see anything beyond another newer Octavia or maybe a Mondeo.
Does STW have any other suggestions for a smartish car that I can also get a couple of bikes in the back (ideally with just the front wheel and seatpost off?

I’m looking for the same sort of car and have been eyeing up the VW passat estate…. Slightly bigger load space than the octavia and some/most seem to be cheaper strangely (presumably because everyone wants an Octavia?).

Has to be a Passat estate, So much car for the money! and for 10K you should get a nicely spec`d one.

You’ll got a lot more mondeo estate for your money. 6-7k will buy you a new shape one with 70k on if you look around.

It might well be worth looking at the Skoda Superb. Very high quality car with lots of toys, and humungous amounts of space, and up there with the Passat. Other than that a newer Octi, with a higher spec if you can find one, a VRS Estate would be my perfect choice. Lots of space, quick, well specced, and a damned nice looking car.

I can’t add much other than a +1 to all that. Current car is a Mondeo, previous was a Passat, can’t fault either of them (well, without being excessively nit-picking). Octavia would’ve been first choice when I get the Mondeo but for the seat which I just found massively uncomfortable when I test-drove it.

Give you £700 for the skoda 😉

Has to be a Passat estate, So much car for the money! and for 10K you should get a nicely spec`d one.

Yeah I noticed that, considering how much more Passats are to buy in the first place and they are a VW it’s surprising.

If you want something posher than it would have to be the passat. I take an Octavia VRS wouldn’t be suitable. I’ve got the Octavia 4×4 and i’d have another without question, probably a Scout if i can find one

my suggestion would be a old shape mondeo st tdci estate very nice to drive and lovely inside. should get one of those for your budget.

Visiting clients or customers? Clients will need a car to reflect your professional status, equally you’ll need a car to satisfy your customers’ expectaions. You’ll need to think about your job/position and the car to go with it. What do you want your car to say about you?

Honda Accord Tourer…..smart looking (esp from the front), easily as reliable as anything VAG, smoother, quieter, more toys…..

Skoda if you’re over 35
Mondeo if you’re over 45
Accord if you’re over 65

Easy

Volvo V70?

Nice big car, perhaps not the best mpg, and non-descript when it comes to the “he drives a *** so must be a *** ” stakes when you pop up at the client / supplier.

Passat, tried Vrs Octavia, bit too small, TDI ‘sport’ (quick kind of 😕 ) Bit bigger and nice to drive and bolted together nicely.

Had a Passat saloon (’56 plate) and it was far and away the best car I’ve ever had. It’s the only vehicle I’ve ever driven to Newquay from Derbyshire without back, or bum ache. It was huge too – I could get my Spesh Enduro (a long bike) in with the back seats down (through a normal boot, not a hatch) with just the front wheel off.

Build quality and comfort were second to none, and although not the most dynamic handling car, it was so surefooted.

Visiting clients or customers? Clients will need a car to reflect your professional status, equally you’ll need a car to satisfy your customers’ expectaions. You’ll need to think about your job/position and the car to go with it. What do you want your car to say about you?

It’s more that my current Octavia is old and has a few dents and scratches. It’s not a sales job (it’s more like consultancy) so don’t need an ‘executive’ car thank god.

I would completely, utterly and totally +1 “TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR”‘s post up there, with the disclaimer “until I got the Mondeo.” The Passat is everything he says it is, but (IMHO) the Mondeo is better.